Italian design studio teams up with BMW for concept car collaboration

BMW and Pininfarina are two of the most iconic names in motoring. BMW having created some of the most rewarding driving experiences on the road to date. Pininfarina hasn't skipped a beat since it was founded by legendary designer Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. The infamous Pininfarina has laid its hands on automotive sculptures from the Cisitalia to the P4/P5. Each company brings cutting-edge technology, style, dynamics and aesthetics to every project they unveil - the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé. Unveiling the outcome of their first collaboration at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2013.

"The appeal of this collaboration with Pininfarina is that you get another, very different and special angle on facets like luxury and exclusivity," notes Karim Habib, Head of BMW Design.

With its broad, wheel-focused stance, the front of the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé incorporates dynamic athletic lines and the trademark BMW kidney grille forms the focal point of the front-end design. All surfaces and lines throughout the entire car take their bearings from its "shark nose" implied inspiration. Symbolically it points to the engine at the heart of the vehicle, a V12 unit hidden behind it.

The flat headlights underline the road-focused look associated with a BMW and round off the "face" of the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé. The detailed and accelerated front bumper concludes the front end of the car dipping toward the earth ready to leap again as soon as your right foot dips into the accelerator.

Within a powerfully present silhouette, convex tapering on the sides add a dynamic elegance and give the body a tautly athletic shape - keeping true to BMW's current design DNA. Stretching the contours of the vehicle accentuate the car's newfound contemporary motif. Higher shoulders and long roof line allow the car to carry an assertive and elegant road presence. Ascending from the front Air Breather behind the wheel the bodyline adds tone and definition visually making the car seem lower and faster within one simple gesture. These key features highlight Pininfarina's sensitivity and life long practice of surface control allow light and shadow to dance across the surface.

The drama captured in the side profile elegantly evaporates into the tail of the Lusso Gran Coupe. Combining distinguished horizontal elements allow the car to seem broad and aggrandized while the tapering rear haunches bring calculated sophistication to its power. Imagine the tailings of smoke attached to a after a lengthy burnout session - thick, proud and instantly rewarding. The taillights receive equal bold styling thanks to their slender L-shape design complimented by its jewel-like appearance shrouded in matte aluminum trim. Their openness actually allows air to flow through them not just around them.

"The result of this cooperative venture is far greater than the sum of its parts," says Fabio Filippini, Head of Design at Pininfarina.

Combining rare fossil wood, expertly tanned leathers with contemporary geometric design make the Lusso Gran Coupe a rolling example of nature and nurture harmony. The illusive kauri wood from the fossil rich swamps of New Zealand evoke a unique grain that shifts from gold to red to brown hues, depending on each viewers perspective.

The hides used to throughout the hyper dynamic driver focused cockpit have been acquired through Foglizzo leather factory that have painstakingly tanned and characterized the black and light Tobacco Brown leather. The roof liner of finest Italian virgin wool features the striking "Principe di Galles" pattern. Allowing extra light into the interior is an oblong aperture in the roof liner, which is additionally illuminated by white LEDs.